DoDEA

ARLINGTON, VA — May 27, 2010 — Stella Y. Cho, a senior at Seoul American High School, was recently selected to receive a National Merit $2500 Scholarship by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Cho was one of 2,500 high school students to be selected for this scholarship.
Cho is the third Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) student to receive a 2010 National Merit Scholarship from a group of six DoDEA finalists. Cho will attend Swarthmore College in the fall.
Richard Schlueter, the principal of Seoul American High School, congratulated Cho on receiving the scholarship award and recognized her for her hard work.
“Seoul American High School is very proud of Stella and all of her accomplishments,” he said. “Stella excelled in her academic studies, assumed leadership rolls in numerous clubs and activities, and used her talents in music, writing and speaking. She is an excellent role model for other students in our school,” Schlueter added.
Approximately 1.5 million juniors in over 22,000 high schools were eligible to enter the 2010 National Merit Scholarship competition when they took the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).
Sixteen thousand of these students had the highest scores on the PSAT/NMSQT and were designated as Semifinalists on a state level. These Semifinalists made up less than one percent of each state’s seniors.
Students selected for the National Merit $2500 Scholarship are the finalists in each state who have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Three remaining DoDEA finalists are still eligible for an additional College-sponsored group of awards. NMSC will announce the winners of the remaining award on July 12.
By the end of the year, the NMSC estimates that it will award 8,400 students with scholarship awards worth a combined $36 million.
DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education programs for Department of Defense (DoD) dependents who would otherwise not have access to a high-quality, public education. DoDEA schools are located in Europe, the Pacific, the United States, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Education Activities throughout the U.S. that serve children of military families.
For more information on the National Merit Scholarship please visit: www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php